Less phagocytosis of viral vectors by tethering with CD47 ectodomain

Many viral vectors, which are effective when administrated in situ, lack efficacy when delivered intravenously. The key reason for this is the rapid clearance of the viruses from the blood circulation via the immune system before they reach target sites. Therefore, avoiding their clearance by the immune system is essential. In this study, lentiviral vectors were tethered with the ectodomain of self-marker protein CD47 to suppress phagocytosis via interacting with SIRPα on the outer membrane of macrophage cells. CD47 ectodomain and core-streptavidin fusion gene (CD47ED-coreSA) was constructed into pET-30a(+) plasmid and transformed into Lemo21 (DE3) competent E. coli cells. The expressed CD47ED-coreSA chimeric protein was purified by cobalt-nitrilotriacetate affinity column and characterized by SDS-PAGE and western blot. The purified chimeric protein was anchored on biotinylated lentivirus via biotin–streptavidin binding. The CD47ED-capped lentiviruses encoding GFP were used to infect J774A.1 macrophage cells to assess the impact on phagocytosis. Our results showed that the overexpressed CD47ED-coreSA chimeric protein was purified and bound on the surface of biotinylated lentivirus which was confirmed via immunoblotting assay. The process to produce biotinylated lentivirus did not affect native viral infectivity. It was shown that the level of GFP expression in J774A.1 macrophages transduced with CD47ED-lentiviruses was threefold lower in comparison to control lentiviruses, indicating an antiphagocytic effect triggered by the interaction of CD47ED and SIRPα. Through the test of blocking antibodies against CD47ED and/or SIRPα, it was confirmed that the phagocytosis inhibition was mediated through the CD47ED-SIRPα axis signaling. In conclusion, surface immobilization of CD47ED on lentiviral vectors inhibits their phagocytosis by macrophages. The chimeric protein of CD47 ectodomain and core-streptavidin is effective in mediating the surface binding and endowing the lentiviral nanoparticles with the antiphagocytic property.